To Do: Done!

The moment I found out Sab was coming here, I starting running through the list in my mind of places I wanted to take him and things I wanted to do with him. Though, truthfully, I do this every time I know I'm going to have a guest. This time it was just an extra special one. And one who was a blank slate for many of the things I wanted to share.

I've probably mentioned before that I move around a lot. I've never lived in any one place longer than three years but there's one thing that's always been constant. Everywhere we go, my dad and I get a zoo membership. Since I was a baby he would take me to see birds (his favorites) and antelopes (my favorites) and monkeys (our favorite joke). It was an experience I've learned I almost took for granted, I always just assumed it was something everyone did. Children always do that don't they? They believe that everyone's family is just like their own.

When I learned Sab had never been to a zoo before I knew immediately that was one of the first places I wanted to take him. We're lucky here in this city to have a fabulous zoo with free admission. I gave him one day of rest before dragging him out to Forest Park. Technically, the zoo is within walking distance from my mom's apartment but technicalities and I don't always get along. The roads to get there are twisted, weblike, concoctions but I suppose you can't expect much from what started off as carriage roads. We went about it a little backwards but finally after a long walk we arrived.

The walk was completely worth it just to see Sab light up like he did. We went over to the map and decided on specific points we wanted to hit before we started to wander. The first place we went was the Penguin and Puffin house. He was adorable, pointing out particularly silly birds to me and snapping pictures every few seconds. The rest of the morning was spent in similar fashion. There was another first that morning too because, tragedy of tragedies, he'd never had Dippin Dots before either! It felt particularly appropriate when he got cookies and cream and I got rainbow sherbert (monochrome prince and rainbow princess? anybody remember?).

It took a few more weeks for me to get to the next item on my list. Since eighth grade I've gone to Renaissance Festival at least once every summer. I like checking back in every year with my favorite performers and shop keepers and taking a look at the new acts and items. Poor Sab hadn't had the opportunity to go to one before so I had to drag him along with me! Like most newbies he seemed a little shell shocked when we first arrived but he soon got used to the constant greetings of "Bonjour!", curtsies from fairies, and the abundance of creative headgear. We had a great time just wandering around and we came back with a lot of good loot. Being the good girlfriend that I am I couldn't let him leave without helping him pick out a pirate hat, pistol, and officer's sword. I also introduced him to The Limey Birds and Musical Blades which is an education no one should miss out on. (In fact, go here to educate yourselves! Here and here! Consider yourselves warned on content ^ ^)

I loved getting to share these things with Sab and I loved watching him enjoy them. Though, honestly, any time I get to spend with him is time well used. Whether we're out getting appetizer platters at Applebee's or grocery shopping at Kroger, or watching silly movies while sitting on the floor of his room, it all seems that much better just because he's there. There is something wonderful about knowing that you're not alone.

Busy as Bees (or Why we are being so slow.)

So, this summer Sorcha is taking some online classes that involve watching some very nice classic movies (so no complaints from me). That coupled with our sudden desire to get out in the mornings for short walks and of course: work, makes for a busy schedule. And while before this Blog was a priority because it was how we would connect a little more, I’m sure you will all be understanding when I say that it is backseat to, you know, actually connecting. Suffice to say we are still writing this, it’s just being bumped to a bi-weekly extravaganza filled with pictures and other jazz. We’ve been pretty busy to say the least. But why tell you when I can show you? Through the magic of photochronology I plan on explaining what the last month (four days short of) has been like... in reverse order! Oh my goodness! Let’s begin!

Sorcha conquers a bridge along the way!

So today was Day Two of our new found desire to get up early and take a walk before starting our day. Not that we had been sleeping in that late, but we thought a walk might help us get to doing stuff sooner. And it is working so far. So during today’s walk, we decided we wanted to swing at the local park on the Waterfront. The adventure went as follows, and you can follow along with the pictures (Yes, there are pictures! What? And this is in no way making up for missing last week. Clearly.)

And then she was butterflies.

So we started our day by having a short walk before heading to Java Jive and getting some healthy berry muffins for breakfast. We sat, and talked, and decided to be productive and plan some fun things to do during our off time so we could get more done.

We ended up leaving as Sorcha decided she wanted to swing. And our journey to the park began! But as we approached the levy, things did not bode well. There was water flooding from the underside.

"I don't think this was where we parked the car..."

We trotted up a small hill and lo and behold! The park was underwater! More or less. Unlike the NY Times has stated (Thanks a lot guys. Really.). But no, the city is not in any way underwater. But it was a beautiful site to see actually, the breeze was making the water ripple, and I even caught site of a few splashing fish. For someone whose only experience has been oceans and beaches, seeing a river is an entirely different spectacle to be honest. sort of makes you feel small. (But not as small as Sorcha.)

Sorcha G. Dubhsioc

That was today. Most of what we’ve been doing is working and relaxing in our down time with YouTube videos about Minecraft and Slenderman, hilariously dubbed Anime and Movies. Blockbuster has become our best friend for movies, especially since we made friends with a worker and got a nice deal for a free movie up until July 4th. We did however raid their pins and other collectibles, and I got myself a Voodoo Bean Boy from Little Big Planet which I appropriately named "Baron Samedi". Aside from that, work. Lots of work. In case your curious, here is what we looked like on day one of work. I think we are a little too comfortable in our uniforms.

Sabrael D. Carroll

I am a huge fan of dressing up when the situation calls for it., so the concept behind the uniform appeals to me. One fun fact is that the clothes I am wearing are completely my own. I do indeed own a red vest with matching bowtie. I've never had an occasion to wear it until now, so I am pleased. Also note, that tiny rocking horse will always be the momento of a hilarious story we will tell our children. You all don’t get to hear it. Work was easy to get used too. Not unlike hospitality, but I did truly enjoy one aspect the most: desserts. You see folks, I am in charge of putting out trays of desserts for our guests. I am a stickler for presentation, so this appeals to my baker side a whole lot. I've been having fun with it, even recently baked some tasty Blueberry Cupcakes from scratch.

Silly Sorcha!

Here is a fun story: before our first day of work, we took a trip to Walmart, just Sorcha and I, and we got many stares. One from children whose faces wondered why they had to walk. Another little girl looked pleased, as if she realized she would never have to get out of the cart ever. Needless to say, it was a riot when I rolled Sorcha up to the cashier.

Also a Silly Sabrael

The pictures should explain it, but if your confused, I think you just failed the test. If you can figure it out, then congrats. “The rest of you will get that tomorrow. We don’t slow down just because your slow. We let you catch up.”

Where are our arms?!

So aside from that, we’ve had a few dates, and such. Our first official movie together was Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides (definitely not the best pirates so far...), and while waiting for the movie to start we started snacking on Sour Patch Kids and sort of just played with my phone. It’s difficult to take a picture of yourself. I don’t know how those mySpace (Should it be my[___] now?) girls do it.

For the time being, there were two other major events: Ren Fest (A first!) and a trip to the zoo (Another first!) but I won’t be covering those. Since Sorcha did a nice article about things she wants to make me do that as a City Boy I haven’t done, I’ll let her explain those... with pictures! So until next time, show your RAM some love, and have a great weekend.

P.S. My dear Sorcha, your adorable, and recounting these times just reminds me how so. I’ll always let you ride in the cart no matter how old we get. I don’t think these post scripts need be as long since I can turn to my left right now and tell you how much I love you, but at the same time, it is a special place where I can leave bits of love for you to find later. <3

Expectations

And we are back! Back and better than ever! Better than the bestest thing ever!

As you all might have assumed from the last post, there is no longer that pesky 1600 miles of space between the two of us. In fact, at the moment I would say it’s only about three feet. If even that, I’m pretty sure If I used my foot I could reach you. That would be quite dexterous of you as I am much closer to your face but that point aside, there is now a Bun living in my house. In my downstairs guest room to be exact! zOMGness! In your guest room? That is crazy talk! Does he have a bow tie? Why yes, anonymous questioner, he does have a bow tie. A red one. And a matching vest. I suppose those are the perks of being my scullery maid, you get quite a nice uniform. What? Amazing! This is an advancement in the field of Digital Romance that no one has ever achieved! That’s why Love 2.0 has now entered another *drum roll*, ahem, Chapter, if you will. And so, the book of Love 2.0 enters Chapter 2!

But for those who don’t want to look back, I think we should remind them what Chapter 1 was all about.It’s not that complicated of a story really. Boy meets Girl. Girl meets Boy. Boy likes Girl. Girl likes Boy. Boy has other girl. Girl has given up on love. Boy travels state to state. Girl tries always to be there for Boy. Boy leaves other girl. Girl tries not to get her hopes up. Boy confesses love to Girl. Girl says the L word to Boy. Boy travels state to state. Girl is still always there for Boy. Boy loves Girl. Girl loves Boy. Boy travels state to state. Girl believes in love again. Boy has Girl? Boy has Girl. See. Not complicated at all! The most complicated part of this story lies not in the details but in the situation. The miles and miles and miles that stretched between them. Boy was, sadly, used to this. Girl, not so much. But you know, looking back, I think Girl was very strong about it, and I’m sure Boy is very proud of her. Girl knew all along that Boy was worth it. And now they are together. And by they, I mean us. We are together. And it is epic. So epic that sometimes at night stars just freak out and explode! I’ve seen it happen! It’s true! o 3 o

So here comes the point of this article. The number one question we’ve been getting both from readers and from those closest to us is this. Is it what you expected? The short answer, no. Well sort of. I think we had expectations, but things are better than we thought they would be.I don’t think any situation will be exactly how you imagine it so there’s really only two options, better or worse. And we definitely got the better option. Personally, I was expecting it to be a lot more awkward than it was. Everyone told me that meeting someone for the first time, even someone I’d spent so much time talking to, would start out really weird and it would take time to settle back down. That theory, was complete bunk. The second I saw him in the airport I couldn’t stop smiling and all my attempts to walk calmly across the baggage claim failed completely and I ended up sprinting the last few steps into his arms. I had to try very hard not to just sort of pinching her every few minutes to make sure she wasn’t gonna vanish. And I really couldn’t believe how adorable and beautiful she was (despite HOURS of video calls) and how lucky I felt that I had been able to come and see her for more than just a weekend. It was an amazing feeling. You hear people talk about climbing a mountain and seeing the world from the top. I don’t think they’ve ever really felt something like this. I’m sure they’d shut up about mountains if they did.(Romantic Epiphany btw, love ^ ^) Honestly the only thing different now is the fact that if I want to reach out and punch him when he says something stupid, I can. If I want to hold his hand when I’m scared, I can. If he makes that face that makes it irresistible, now I can kiss him. Just those simple interactions that most people in relationships take for granted, mean so much to us now. I hope we never lose that. That knowledge that all of this time together is so incredibly precious. It makes even a short morning walk and a silly game of Trivial Pursuit over muffins feel like an amazing morning to be alive.

So for the next few months we’ll be using this blog to document our first summer together. Worth the wait do you think? I do! I definitely do. And so Chapter 2 will be about silly trips, fun days, and a summer that I don’t think either of us will forget. We hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we will.

P.S. I love you. But, I think you knew that already. <3 I do, but it’s always nice to hear it. I love you too. <3